Multiverse Fandom: Harry Potter
by shadow-f20
Summary: This is my collection of outlines and story ideas from the Harry Potter universe. Feel free to peruse and build on ideas and concepts and please be nice and link them. It's always great to see where another author takes a concept. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Story Outline

Harry Potter One Shot

BWL twin with a twist

Scene 1: Potter Home

Starts off in Potter home on September 1st . Harry feels overshadowed by his brother Reginald who is the real boy who lived. Reggie or Reg for a short form. He feels sorry for his brother but can understand he is part of the problem. Parents loved both equally but couldn't help the extra attention and devotion paid to Reg whilst Harry remained almost unknown as 'the other potter boy'. Harry accepts that he may be overshadowed by his brother his whole life. Some bitterness but knowing he can't help it.

Scene 2: Hogwarts Express

Starts with Potter parents saying their goodbyes to their children. In a quiet aside, James and Lily share their concerns over Harry's well-being at Hogwarts. Cut to Harry trying to find a compartment and stumbling upon a full one with Reg in it. Reg starts to leave to hang out with his brother (gratefully as the hero worship has already started) but Harry bows out gracefully and finds an empty compartment near the end of the train. Enter Ron Weasley into the compartment. Ron mistakes Harry for Reg but when set straight does not treat him any differently and they start talking. Right before they get into the personal issues, enter Hermione Granger looking for a pet toad. She recognizes Harry as himself and is invited to join the conversation. She asks Harry how it is living with Reg and receives an honest answer which prompts Ron to divulge the information of his family and their achievements. After that, Hermione speaks on being an only child and being forgotten by her peers in day to day life, the bossiness being a front so people will actually notice her. They finish their conversation in good spirits and are fast becoming friends. On the outside of the door, Reg smiles and walks away from the compartment to hide out in another area. Ironically, now he is the lonely one because people only want to meet him for his fame.

The End


	2. Chapter 2

Story Outline

Harry Potter One Shot

Curing Lycanthropy

Scene 1: Hogwarts Library

Instead of concentrating on homework, Harry reads a random book on Lycanthropy and it's effects on wizards. There is a passage that states due to the stresses of both transformation and daily living, werewolves will gradually start to lost their magic as they age. Eventually it will be reduced to nothingness, although this theory has not been proven as there has yet to be a public werewolf in Britain that survived to old age. Also states that there has never been a muggle werewolf and probably never will be as the transformation itself is both wordless and wandless. Harry asks Hermione what would happen if a werewolf took a Wizard's Oath to never transform again. They speculate for a while on the outcome.

Scene 2: 12 Grimmauld Place, Parlour

Harry talks to Remus about his Lycanthropy. Remus is aware that he will gradually lose his magic due to his condition, having read up on it extensively. Harry asks Remus what would happen if he made a Wizard's Oath to never transform again. Remus and Harry debate the pros and cons with Remus going ahead with the idea.

Scene 3: Hogwarts, Spare Classroom

Remus is in a cage after swearing his oath to Harry. He does not transform and accepts the fact that he is now a muggle. Smiling, Harry contradicts him, stating that due to the anti-muggle wards on Hogwarts, Hermione's parents would never be able to visit her at her school, therefore Remus should very well be confused and disoriented being in the middle of the ward. Remus is now a squib with no Lycanthropy and no substantial magical powers, although slight bending of reality becomes apparent (similar to mothers lifting impossible weights to free children).


	3. Chapter 3

Synopsis: The war has started. In order to survive, the magical and muggle worlds have come together in a way no one ever thought they could. If the magical world thinks it has all of the secrets, its sorely mistaken. Voldemort knows what the muggles have found, and will stop at nothing to gain control of this new weapon. Magic, Technology, and Entire Worlds collide as the struggle to survive spreads to more than just Earth…

What I envision for this story is a sort of multiple epic in every sense of the word. There could be very funny scenes inter-spaced to give the reader a break from the constant tension. A couple of examples are below.

(Harry and Jack are golfing through the stargate)

"So then, we had gone through a couple of loops and Daniel had suggested that we could do literally anything and get away with it. Needless to say, Teal'c and I took advantage of that and one of the things we did was golf to Alaris." Jack finished with a flourish.

"Exactly how far is it to Alaris?" Harry asked after driving through a ball with his 3 iron.

"Several billion miles actually, too bad the Guinness people can't see this." Jack replied with evident humor as he took his place at the tee.

Harry waited for the perfect moment to ask a question he had been wondering about since he read the mission report. "So, what did you and Carter get up to then?" He asked.

Jack faltered, turned to look at Harry and asked sarcastically, "Harry! In the middle of my back swing?"

(Just imagine Voldemort and any Goa'uld system lord trying to negotiate)


	4. Chapter 4

Story Outline

Harry Potter Recurring Series

Harry Potter/Fate Stay Night crossover

Set in Harry Potter universe. From Fate Stay Night we take Shirou's power of 'imaging' and use magic to explain how Harry has this power. May also take Saber look-alike as an interesting experiment. Not Super Power Harry. Competent Fudge.

First Chapter:

Harry has magic. It is a truth he has always known despite his relatives best efforts to stomp it out. Growing up with abusers has made him learn to 'hide' his magic, thereby lessening the need for a wand but also lessening his abilities as a 'proper' wizard. He has made things appear before but as they disappeared in the light, he dismissed them as figments of imagination. Unknown to him, that is exactly what they were and they disappeared because he feared discovery of his talent by his 'family'. Like the Matrix, his mind and magic work together to make what he thinks real.

Second Chapter:

In first year, Harry is one of the least powerful of his group (aka Neville Longbottom level) in practical magic, although his theory, potions, herbology, astronomy and flying are above average. As such, apart from a few friends, Harry is a loner. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger figure very little into this story. Ron initially likes Harry but is discouraged after Harry's perceived weakness is revealed. Hermione also gets along well with Harry but becomes convinced, based on his mastery of theory, that he 'just isn't trying hard enough' on the practical side. Harry notices that every time he 'uses' magic through his wand, it feels wrong and slightly awkward, like running after eating greasy food. During the final stages of the Voldemort conflict (first year), his internal magic manifests and he creates his first reality marble in which he banishes Voldemort from Quirrel's body. Quirrel is found barely alive whilst Harry is unconscious from the effort, magic and will expended. Dumbledore is baffled as to how Harry could have forced a powerful shade like Voldemort out of Quirrel's body without either party being killed. In the hospital wing, Quirrel confesses to freely granting Voldemort residence within him and apologizes to Harry and Dumbledore for what he has done. He turns himself into the Minister who has come to the school to check up on rumours about Harry/Voldemort/Philosopher's Stone. Fudge vents for a while at Dumbledore about leaving the stone in a school for children when it should have been given to the Ministry for study. Dumbledore replies that Flamel had reported several break in attempts, most likely to steal the stone, so they moved it to Gringotts. When Dumbledore received a tip that an attempt was to be made on the stone there, he immediately sent Hagrid to retrieve it. Because of his faults, no one would suspect Hagrid be entrusted with a duty of such importance, the retrieval of Harry Potter was another such duty. To do both on the same day was either madness or pure genius. The reputation and acclaim given to Dumbledore covered the stone from external forces trying to get it. The wards did alert Dumbledore that a person wielding a dark mark had crossed the wards but since Quirrel either timed his entrances and exits with Snape or left when Dumbledore was absent, the subterfuge was never discovered. The number of people who worked at the Ministry and had pleaded 'imperius' automatically disqualified it from being held there. Fudge orders Veritaserum on Quirrel and it is shown he speaks the truth. He asks questions about former death eaters and sympathizers but gets very little in return. He does receive a warning about Lucius Malfoy that he takes to heart. Fudge returns to the Ministry to discreetly act upon the information he was given and secretly prepare in case the worst should happen and Voldemort returns. Since he was alone in figuring out the secret of the stone and the subsequent chase of it, the school believes Harry sneaked out and got injured doing god-knows-what. Harry must go back to Privet Drive as due to pureblood law, all wizarding orphans must be placed with their closest blood relatives, to either ensure the continuation of familial lines (Bones), arrange for 'accidents' if the children are found not worthy (Countless Unnamed) or cement their ignorance of their magical powers (Muggleborn). Harry could not be forgotten because of his instant celebrity status over the defeat of Voldemort, other muggleborn were 'noticed' by lawful wizards and so they received letters. Since no Death Eaters wanted to make a move without their master to back them up, they stayed in the shadows and kept tabs on Harry discreetly. Harry returns with a theory about his magic and the usual do not use your wand over the summer warning.

Scene for second year: Harry gets out of underage magic use

Dobby warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts. Since Harry has little contact with friends, he has not missed the mail this summer. The only letter ever sent to him was his Hogwarts one. Harry refuses to heed the warning due to his desire to learn more about his specific brand of magic, proving his theory of what he is doing and getting the hell out of Privet Drive. During the business party, Dobby hovers the dessert and Harry receives the warning. Cut to a scene where Dumbledore is speaking to Mafalda Hopkirk about the warning on Harry's record. After getting an oath to keep it secret, he reveals that Harry had given Dumbledore his wand to check out at Ollivander's, to see if it was why Harry's spells were so weak. He provides the memory of Harry giving his magical consent and proves that he is carrying Harry's wand, thereby exonerating Harry from any wrong-doing. The whole irony of this part is that Harry is now aware that he can do a form of wandless magic, his 'imaging' and it does not require a wand. His warning is expunged.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Before anything else, I will say this now and only once. This entire work, including all sequels or offshoots I may write, are in no way mine. They all belong to a woman named J.K. Rowling (Google it if you don't believe me). I am also not making any money or reward of any kind, other than the satisfaction of writing a story and, of course, reviews. However, certain situations in this work, for the most part, are just me using a pre-existing set of characters and places in a pre-written universe to my own distinct viewpoint. Therefore some of my story you will agree with, some you will not.

Warning - I guess I better warn you guys now, since this is written by me, some events and situations may be a little extravagant, but that's just appeasing my huge hero complex in writing. Also, this is rated NC-17 for a reason. At this time, I expect this story to have relevant amounts of violence, gore, language, horror, disturbing situations and sexual situations and sometimes disturbing sexual situations;). Regardless, I feel that this rating is appropriate and that some parts may be more intense than others (like a chapter that builds characters may be almost G, but I can guarantee the final battle and many parts leading up to it, will deserve this).

Chapter 1 - A New Hope

"BOY!" shouted Uncle Vernon as his large and obscenely huge body rounded the stairs to the second floor of his residence at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. He ascended to the top and turned towards his nephew (only by blood, none of those freakish abnormalities in his family, thank you very much), Harry's, room. "You better be up and making us lunch soon, or there will be hell to pay!"

The room he was about to enter was noticeably different from the rest of the spotlessly clean house. In one corner was an open trunk, with robes, spellbooks and who knew what else sprawling from it. On top of the dresser sat an elegant snowy owl by the name of Hedwig. She clicked her beak, almost as in warning, when Harry's uncle climbed the stairs. Beside his bed was a broomstick, although no one else residing at Number Four, Privet Drive would ever be heard uttering that word. On the night side table, there were many pictures, the foremost being three little first years huddled together after a certain stone chasing adventure, another one of Harry and a figurative giant by the name Hagrid and one of two people dancing at a wedding while another person was laughing and obviously chiding the newly married people. The couple was, of course, Harry's parents and although he was almost a carbon copy of his father, he truly had his mother's eyes. The other figure in the picture was Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Sirius had been wrongfully imprisoned in the wizarding prison Azkaban for supposedly ratting James and Lily Potter out to the Dark Lord, Voldemort and killing 12 muggles along with a wizard named Peter Pettigrew. In Harry's third year, he had found out the real story and became aware of Sirius' innocence. The last noticeably different thing in this room was a boy, soon to be sixteen, sprawled out on the bed. He was very skinny, with uncontrollable jet-black hair, a lightning shaped scar on his head, and, had his eyes been opened, they would have been the most mesmerizing emerald.

As Vernon barged into the room without even so much as a knock, he found that his nephew appeared to be sleeping. He stepped closer to Harry's bed and found that his nephew was indeed asleep with what looked like a painful and agitated expression. Vernon grinned sadistically to himself as he heard Harry mumble in his sleep.

"No, not Sirius, please don't kill him, NOOO!"

Now, having put up with his freakish nephew, his nightmares and all that other abnormal nonsense since allowing Harry to live with them, Vernon jumped at every opportunity to exploit him in any way possible, as if using him to do all the chores and as Dudley's punching bag wasn't bad enough. However, at that moment, suddenly learning that his godfather was more than likely deceased, he jumped with glee at all the other things he wouldn't have to put up with because his "guilty" criminal godfather had been killed. For one, certain threats against him to keep Harry safe were not longer valid. He grinned again. His decency, if he ever had any towards Harry, flew out the window faster than Hedwig delivering mail.

"UP!" roared Uncle Vernon as he tore what little sheet remaining on Harry to the ceiling and kicked his bed. "I will not have you be a layabout, especially since no one of your _kind_ (He spat kind like it was the worst thing he had ever said) will threaten us to be nice to you anymore!"

Harry groggily looked around, then spotting his uncle, got up quietly and began to dress himself. Ever since Sirius had died, Harry had been in a depressive state, which he thought he deserved for letting himself be lured into the Ministry that fateful night, so he just complied. Three important rules to remember when living with the Dursley's were: be up on time, never ask questions and never talk about anything magically related. He had just started going over to grab some clothes to put on (Dudley's things, much too big for Harry, he would have been better off wearing the sheet previously ripped from his bed) when a foot came out of nowhere and tripped him. Harry hit the ground hard, face first with an "umph!"

Uncle Vernon leaned on his back with his leg, put his face right beside Harry's and whispered maniacally, "Now that no one is looking out for you, you're mine!" after which he pressed very hard on Harry's back and, upon hearing a crack which satisfied him, left the room.

He strolled out of the bedroom as if nothing had happened and without so much as a backward glance to where Harry was lying. Harry groaned and got up, his back visibly bruising from the recent pressure, just as Hedwig began to freak out. He calmed her down by petting her and giving her a few reassuring words, along with a few owl treats. He then put on his cousin's abnormally large clothes while he scanned the room and finally realized exactly what Uncle Vernon had said.

"Damn" he swore, "This can't be good, the order doesn't expect messages every day and Sir-"

He stopped then because mentioning Sirius was still too painful. All at once he reviewed his brief time with his godfather, at first fearing him as a scared third year student, then believing him and Professor Lupin that he was innocent, his elation that he offered to take Harry away from the Dursley's, the shock of getting caught by Snape (the greasy git), rescuing him with Buckbeak, his advice during the Triwizard Tournament, his restlessness last year at being able to do nothing to help the order, and finally, the one that Harry hated most, Sirius' death at the Ministry of Magic. Harry silently cursed himself again as that memory played in his mind, his brain not accepting the fact that Sirius' death was out of his control, and could have happened anyway, as the Second War between Voldemort and the wizarding world (at least so far) broke out. Sighing in resignation, he set his resolve, put on one of Dudley's old shirts (stained with God knows what) and proceeded downstairs to cook lunch for his relatives.

As Harry took each step down, he had a very peculiar and apprehensive feeling about what lay downstairs. He stepped on the third last stair and it creaked ominously. He was about to turn the corner and enter the kitchen, when a fist came out of nowhere and caught him in the face.

"OWW!" exclaimed Harry as he clutched his jaw in pain. "What the hell was that for?"

"Heard about your freak uncle dying," said Dudley, without being aware of the change in Harry's demeanour or the mistaken title he used "What's the matter, couldn't he use a spell to save himself, or was he just glad to be rid of you?"

Triumphantly, Dudley headed for the kitchen while Harry took awhile to recover from the mental and physical trauma. But of course, no one else wanted Harry to recover.

"BOY! Lunch won't make itself," started Vernon, after praising Dudley for his actions, but then encouraging him to stop so Harry could make lunch. "What do I have to do to get some service and respect around here? We took you in, ungrateful little brat that you are, we put a roof over your head, fed you and clothed you, and now you expect to walk off without repaying us? I don't think so!"

Harry strode into the horrendously clean kitchen (that would put any hospital, muggle or magical, to shame) and checked the refrigerator for what to cook. Seeing a few key ingredients, he checked the pantry and found some pasta. It seemed that this meal would be somewhat Italian. His uncle peered at him from over the _Daily Post_ as Harry chopped the celery, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions and a bit of parsley and dropped them into the pasta sauce. Already the sauce permeated the air, with hints of garlic as he added the spice. He ran to the sink, quickly filled up the bowl with water, and set it to boil.

"Hurry up boy, I'm hungry" barked the only other occupant of the room.

"Yes Uncle Vernon" replied Harry in a dull monotone voice, not even attempting to hide his dismal mental state.

Harry continued cooking until the smell from his meal attracted the attention of his aunt and cousin. Dudley sneered as he entered and Aunt Petunia simply turned her nose and proceeded to initiate the lunchtime conversation by talking about what's-her-name next door's troubles. Harry secretly wondered for a brief second whether or not other people thought of him like that. He served the lunch, and as he was going back to get a plate for himself, his uncle spoke.

"Oh, you won't need that, do you think you're eating now?" He said.

Harry was surprised to understand him due to the enormous amount of food in his mouth, but figured if he could figure Ron out, anything is possible.

"I believe that the yard, my car, and the house need to be cleaned and trimmed. Am I forgetting anything, Petunia?" He continued.

And she replied "And don't get any strange ideas about doing those chores, they are to be done in the most _normal_ way possible."

The way she stressed normal made Harry feel even worse, as she was, undoubtedly, referring to magic. As he put his plate away, he thought again of what life might have been like with his late uncle. If only he could have changed the order of events, maybe caught Pettigrew after he escaped, or been able to convince the Ministry that Sirius was innocent, he could have spent more time with him, maybe go flying in the summer, talk about Buckbeak, get visits from Hermione and Ron, or at the very least, letters.

As he headed out to the backyard, he contemplated what had happened so far. It was three weeks into summer vacation and, while joyous for everyone else, was torture for Harry at his estranged relative's residence. It was compounded even more by the fact that the entire summer, he had gotten only two letters, one from each of his best friends. As he was sure that this time Dobby was not responsible for this absence, Harry's all-time low feelings fell lower. Ron's letter had been simple enough, apparently the Chudley Cannons were a close 4th in the league, and Puddlemere United, Oliver Wood's team, was 3rd. He gave no mention of anything that had happened in the Department of Mysteries, the Order, or any specifics about how his family was doing. Harry attributed this to the typical screening that now accompanied any communication between the trio.

Hermione's letter was surprisingly short, and this furthered his reasoning, as Hermione never refrained from writing Harry letters that were long and meticulously detailed with every little event that had happened so far in her summer. She too, said nothing about her parents, where she was, or about the Order. The only indication that it was actually Hermione was a strange symbol in the corner of her letter, obviously drawn in haste after the letter was screened but before it was sent. Her letter had a hidden message, and although it took Harry a week and a half, he found it. _Whatever you do, whatever happens, DO NOT blame yourself_. He laughed at this, because there was no way it wasn't his fault. Sirius came because of him, Sirius died-He had to stop thinking about that. He mentally kicked himself and set to work on the garden.

The sun was excruciatingly hot as Harry fertilized the flowers, pruned them, trimmed the lawn, pruned the trees and raked the mulch into bags. It was dusk by the time he was done, and he still hadn't started on the rest of his chores. He came in exhausted, and fairly sure he would at least be able to eat now. He stumbled into the kitchen and nearly gave Petunia a heart attack at the state of his clothes. He made to go to the fridge, but was again stopped by his uncle, who was wearing a sick, twisted smile not unlike one Tom Riddle, Dark Lord.

"Uh uh uh. I don't think so. My car is still filthy, and you're losing a lot of light. Better hurry up or you will have to wash it in the dark." He said with glee. He continued on with, "Also, the house looks dirty, and I can't have that. You will stay here after washing my car and clean the house to an acceptable standard before you eat, clean up, or sleep. Is that understood?"

Harry nodded his head, too tired to speak, but apparently that wasn't good enough. Uncle Vernon crossed the room swiftly and surprised Harry by slapping him across the face. As his cheek bruised and a welt formed, Harry noticed three things. One, as Vernon hit him, he saw, for only a second, a shocked and disgusted Petunia. Two, Dudley heard the slap and came to stand at the door, watching his cousin like a vulture watches a dying animal. The final thing he noticed, is that instead of getting angry and magically unstable, a new feeling of worthlessness set in, followed by remorse, feeling as thought he deserved it for not being able to save Sirius.

"Yes, sir." Harry stammered, trying not to wince from the pain in his cheek.

"Good, now we're off to bed." he stated, again with an air that nothing had happened. He passed by Dudley, noticed his expression, and added, "That means you too son."

Harry could've sworn that he winked to his son as he passed, as if to say 'there will be other times'.

"Go on Vernon, I am going to stay here until this _boy_-" she vehemently exclaimed, "-finishes the car and starts in the kitchen."

"Very well, Petunia dear. Try not to wear yourself out, he is not worth it." He nodded and left, Dudley in tow.

"Get to it, you." She coldly commanded, as they rounded the corner to the stairs.

Harry sighed, grabbed the bucket, sponge, soap and flannel quickly in case Petunia wanted to hit him for sighing, and booked out of the kitchen. He grabbed the hose, filled the bucket, added the correct amount of soap, and sat on the stairs, just holding the cloth and soaking it. He wondered where this new wave of hostility came from and what Aunt Petunia's expression was about. He checked his face in the mirror, and groaned when he realized the welt was huge, was already turning black in places it wasn't purple, and would likely sting every time he lay down. Gearing himself, he cleaned the car as well as he could, given the fact that he was dead tired and his clothes were dirty and grimy. He dried the car, making sure no spots were left; otherwise he knew his uncle would be more than displeased. He cleaned and rinsed everything out, left it on the porch to dry, and headed inside.

As he stepped inside the hall, the first thing he noticed was the sound of bullets firing, bombs exploding and orders being shouted. This could only mean one thing, Dudley was gaming again, great there goes half his sleep for the night. He trudged towards the kitchen and noticed the smell of all-purpose cleaner in the air. He stopped, confused as he entered the kitchen. His aunt looked up at him, and Harry almost fell to the floor in shock. His aunt wasn't scowling or impatient, she was wearing a look of pity towards him and, upon closer inspection, actually cleaning the kitchen floor herself. Having never encountered this phenomenon before, he nervously entered the kitchen and was greeted by a smile. Extremely scared now, he moved forward and tried to speak.

"Uh...Er...Aunt Petunia..." Harry warbled out before his voice failed him again.

"Yes, Harry dear?" She replied softly, possibly not wanting to be overheard.

Speechless, Harry stood agape just staring at her. Who was this woman, and where did his aunt go? As he contemplated his next words, his mouth betrayed him and instead of saying 'thanks' or 'let me help you with that', he spoke.

"What are you doing?"

She replied "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cleaning the kitchen."

The tone of her response would lead anyone to believe that the two in the kitchen were not estranged, hostile relatives who could barely tolerate each other, but more a friendly aunt and nephew having a civilized discussion.

Harry responded, this time using his brain. "Thank you, Aunt Petunia. I will take it from here. I'm really not that tired, just wanting to finish what I was told."

She began to respond, but changed her tone and words mid-sentence. "Harry, I...I am only doing this because I don't want your filthy hands all over my appliances, that's why!" She finished in a near shriek and put on a face of impatience.

Harry flinched from the sudden change, and wondered what new game his aunt was playing. Was she really trying so bad to screw with him? He was about to step out of the kitchen when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. Looking back, he saw his uncle, looking strangely alien with a smile on his face. He stepped forward, and Harry shrunk away, not wanting to be hit again. His uncle laughed, not a chuckle or simple guffaw, but a full out, leg hitting laugh.

"Look at him, Petunia. Look how he shrinks away. We finally got something through that thick skull of his, don't cross the Dursley's, or you'll pay." He finished his laugh, wiped his eyes, and continued, "I just came down to let you know, I'm taking a shower, make sure you don't use any water."

He looked at Harry once more, smiled hauntingly, and ascended to the bathroom. Harry looked towards his aunt and was taken aback by the look of fury on her face. 'Oh crap' he thought, 'I'm in for it now'. As he tried to back out of the room unnoticed, he could have sworn his aunt said 'sadistic, power-hungry bastard'. Shocked, he continued backing out, but his aunt looked at him, again pity written across her face. She motioned for him to stay where he was and keep quiet. He froze and waited until he heard the shower start, then, in a low voice like before, his aunt spoke.

"Harry dear, how would you like a spot of tea?"

He, now hopelessly lost, simply nodded and hoped it was an adequate answer. She gestured toward the table and Harry sat down while she busied herself putting the water out, taking out two mugs, the tealeaves, some sugar and milk. She set them on the table, then went to the fridge and brought out a plate wrapped in clear film. She tore it off, set it in the microwave for a minute and a half, sat down across from Harry, and started to explain.

"First of all, I'm sorry Harry. I know that right now you are going through a terrible loss and it's not getting any better with my _husband_ or _son_ (She said both words like someone who just tasted something awful) acting the way they are. You have to excuse Dudley, he is just following by example."

"Believe it or not, I knew Sirius. Unknown to Vernon, I attended Lily's wedding; she is my sister after all. I apologized profusely and asked her to forgive me for my hostility and jealousy. We hugged, then cried and started getting caught up on all the time we missed. She told me many stories about a group of people she and her soon-to-be-husband, your father, hung around with. I believe they called themselves the Marauders. She was just telling me about Sirius and James pulling pranks left and right, when her bouquet flashed and changed into a rubber chicken."

Harry sat stone still, having never heard this before, and becoming immensely interested in it.

"So we tracked down James, who was a nervous wreck in his tent, and noticed Sirius was missing. She put her finger to her lips, and then took out her wand and said a spell. I was a little scared she would want a small measure of revenge against me, but she just changed the flowers back to their original state, then said another spell. I asked her about the second one, and all she replied with was 'watch'."

At this point, Petunia got up, and before Harry could object, placed the plate of food in front of him along with the necessary cutlery. She placed the tea equipment on the table, and stopped Harry from helping her. Harry began to eat and she continued.

"Good, eat up. I can't believe Vernon would do that!" She seethed, "Taunting a boy who just lost the rest of his family, how could he? Oh sorry, I mentioned him again, didn't I? I'll just get on with the story."

"So we went back to the gathering of bridesmaids and she told them something, apparently highly amusing. I asked for details, and all she told me was to watch Sirius escort his bridesmaid down the aisle. I agreed and took my seat, hastily set up in the front row, as the ceremony began."

"James looked like he had calmed down a bit, probably thanks to Sirius and Remus, and was eagerly awaiting Lily at the alter. The wedding march began, and first came the flower girl. As soon as she reached the first row, she sat down and looked back again. This time, the first pair of the bridal party processed in. After the third pair, it was Sirius' turn to walk down the aisle. As he started, I saw Lily peeking out from the tent, mirth in her eyes. As soon as Sirius reached the middle of the aisle, his pants flew down and smoky letters started to appear. Everyone was shocked. The phrase that appeared was 'For the Flowers'. He looked back at Lily, touched his hand to his head, pulled up his pants, and continued to his seat."

"At this point, everyone got over the shock and was chuckling at Sirius' misfortune. The mood changed back to solemn when the wedding march started and Lily started coming down the aisle. She looked great, and everyone else knew it too, as even Sirius couldn't stop looking at her. James looked like he had been hit in the head with one of those balls, what do you call it? Oh yeah, a bludger."

Harry, having finished his plate, pushed it aside, and served the tea to himself and his aunt.

"Thank you, " She replied, "Help yourself to milk and sugar."

She then continued on. "So, the wedding proceeded as well as could be expected, and in an hour and a half, they were married. They were so proud to be together, their faces were practically glowing and there was something magical about seeing them up there."

"Later, at the reception, Sirius, in his role as best man, started the party with a speech. He mentioned how Lily and James were both from Gryffindor, he got great applause for that, how they both came together from polar opposites, how he and James had tricked or pranked everyone in Hogwarts except for Professor Dumbledore, and how Lily was now a Marauder, especially with that pants dropping charm. Lily and James were both crying a little, and applauded Sirius the loudest when he sat down. They each said they're thanks to everyone there, then the dance started."

Harry, having finished both his plate and half his tea, took his supper to the sink, washed the plate, fork and knife, and put them away. He looked over at Petunia and saw the faraway look one contributes to deep thought. He returned to the table, cleared his throat, and she continued.

"After that, later on in the evening, what do you know, but your Godfather comes up to me and asks for my help in planning a prank on the newlyweds. I agreed and we put our heads together to see what we could come up with. We ended up..."

She stopped and then stood up suddenly, while motioning for Harry to stay still. He was confused until he heard Uncle Vernon step onto the floor and come into the kitchen. Harry still stayed sitting, although he was extremely worried about how this looked. He was about to speak, but his uncle beat him to it, and he feared the worst.

"What the devil is going on here?" He asked, unsure of what to make of this, his face during redder and redder due to his infamous temper.

"Calm down Vernon," she replied, "I'm simply teaching the boy how to properly have tea. He is going to Mrs. Figg's tomorrow, and we wouldn't want her to think anything was _abnormal_ about Harry's tea skills, would we?"

Harry scarcely believed what he was hearing, feeling for sure he was dreaming. What was even more, he could see his uncle thinking and then believing his wife's story.

"Good point, Petunia. Don't want her asking too many questions about why he isn't normal. I have to admit, I never thought of that."

He gave Harry a beady look, then spoke in a threatening manner.

"When I ask Mrs. Figg tomorrow night about how you were, I better hear you were perfect serving and during tea, and that nothing of _that_ sort happened. I'm going to bed Petunia, night."

He promptly left, and Petunia turned towards Harry and grinned not unlike Hermione when she managed to subtly manipulate people to break tension or pull a joke.

"Close one, huh?" She chuckled slightly, then spoke.

"Well, that is all I can tell you right now about Sirius, but I still wanted to talk to you about something."

Harry tensed up and awaited his punishment for whatever he did. He wasn't sure right now whether or not he did anything to land himself in trouble. Petunia noticed and did something Harry would never forget. She reached for him, and Harry was afraid he was going to be hit, so he closed his eyes. His aunt advanced, not seeing the apprehension, and when Harry opened his eyes, he felt...safe. She hugged him, not a pale, bony, false appearances hug, but one that was warm and loving, almost akin to Mrs. Weasley. She pulled away, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I'm so, so sorry Harry. You should never have to flinch like that, especially from so called family."

She blew her nose, then looked at Harry, as if she was sizing him up. Nodding to herself, she continued on with her talk.

"I guess this is my fault. When your parents died, Harry, the first place they left you was here. Your headmaster, Dumbledore, told me you were coming. I was worried about Vernon's reaction, and hoped I would be able to convince him to let you stay. Sure enough, once I explained who you were, and more importantly, what you were, he flipped and decided he was going to dump you off at some orphanage. I fought with him, and told him that you would bring protections around our house, and we could use you to help with some chores when you were older. He still blatantly refused. I called him a heartless bastard, and he hit me."

Harry saw a new side to his aunt, a fearful, scared side. She unconsciously rubbed her arm, and Harry had a nagging suspicion that the spot she was rubbing was where Vernon had hit her all those years ago. She continued on in a shaky voice.

"I then lied, and told him if we took you in, that because you were here, we were insured lifetime privacy from wizards. He accepted after that fact was clear, and you grew up here and lived in the cupboard. The day you got your first Hogwarts owl, after throwing you out of the kitchen, Vernon proceeded to blame me and said I had lied. I tried to tell him otherwise, but again, he hit me, this time a few good punches. I was winded and took a few days to recover, hence the reason that whenever I left the car or in that abominable hut, I moved slowly and sat down in pain."

His aunt was now in tears, and Harry was confronted with his worst fear: a woman crying. He got up, went over to her, and awkwardly rubbed her back and whispered encouraging words. She slowly started to speak again.

"Thank you dear, now where was I, oh yes, the first year. Well after that, it became ok because Vernon was too scared about wizards to worry about me. When Hagrid came and took you away, we came back here, and Vernon didn't speak to me for the longest time. He finally caved and we resumed a somewhat normal relationship, although I always felt an undercurrent of fear and never felt safe around him anymore."

"The next summer, after your friends picked you up, it got really bad again. After Dudley was ok, and he stopped swearing at your friend's father, he advanced on me. He hit me so much I couldn't move for a month without something hurting to the point of tears. And again, we resumed a normal relationship, but there was a stronger feeling of uneasiness and fear whenever I was with him."

Harry, still astonished by these revelations, tried to apologize.

"Aunt Petunia...Er...I'm sorry if I caused you a lot of stress or harm with what I did but-"

His aunt promptly exclaimed, "No, Harry, as I said before, it's me who should say sorry to you. All this time, I pretty much went along with what your Uncle wanted with regards to you. I could have, no should have, at least done something, maybe gotten you into Dudley's old room sooner, or try to introduce a non-violence policy. Lily would be ashamed of me."

She started to break down again, but this time Harry was prepared. He grabbed a napkin, got some more tea, and set both in front of his aunt. She looked up, tearful, and began sobbing even harder. Harry, not being very good with emotional members of the opposite sex, wondered what he had done to increase her level of distress. His query was answered a few seconds later as she cleared her throat, and began to speak.

"No...nothing is wrong, it's just...even though you've been through so much, you're still so polite, and well-mannered and..."

Harry, now getting a hint of what his aunt was truly like, or at least what she was like when she wasn't forced into acting like a bitch to avoid getting beaten, he began to feel pride toward his aunt. He thought he had it bad, but here she was, forced to be cruel to the last remaining link to her sister, whom she had been forgiven by right before her death. If that wasn't bad enough, she had to watch her husband and son torture him for their own sadistic pleasure, and pretend to be indifferent. She sniffled and looked at Harry like a proud mother looks at her son.

"You really turned out all right, you know that?" She choked out through the last of her sobs. "I can't believe you are so well adjusted and compassionate after what happened to you here. Is your school full of people who love and support you like we should?"

Harry laughed at this, and then looked at his aunt with a lopsided smile in place.

"Oh, yes, there are people like that, and then there are people like Draco Malfoy and Voldemort." Harry stated with a calm authorative air. "They make Uncle Vernon look like a sock puppet on laxatives."

As Petunia cleared her head, one name from Harry's previous sentence hit her hard. "V-V-Voldem-m-mort?" She stuttered, face sickly pale and white.

"Oh, I see you've heard of him. I don't know how you know about him, but that's a story for another time, right?" She only nodded and Harry tried to hide his yawn, but to no avail.

His aunt immediately caught on and stated "Straight up to bed with you, mister. You're exhausted, your 'chores' are done, and you've eaten, so technically that means you're allowed to go to bed now. Now, I think it goes without saying that you shouldn't let anyone know about this conversation, all right?"

Harry nodded and turned to leave when his aunt spoke again.

"One more thing, Harry. Every time Vernon and Dudley go out, we can talk again, all right? I know there is a lot about the wizarding world you are not telling me, judging by your casual reference of You-Know-Who, and I want to be there for you, like I should have been the first time these things happened. Is that all right?"

Harry smiled and responded, "I would love that, Aunt Petunia"

She smiled back and stated, "For our chats dear, its just Petunia. Now off to bed with you."

Harry nodded, smiled one last time, then left the kitchen and proceeded upstairs with the stealthy grace he usually used to avoid any confrontation. He marvelled at how well that talk had helped put everything into perspective, and how much his aunt had secretly been through. As he reached his door as a loud cry of "Enemy Mortar Fire!" came from Dudley's room. He entered his room, and closed the door slowly and quietly. Even though Dudley's game was extremely loud, he didn't want to chance anything.

Harry turned around and noticed that Hedwig was waiting for him, with a parcel! He hurriedly crossed the room and petted Hedwig while he untied the package. She took flight and alighted on Harry's shoulder, and then leaned her head on his as if comforting him. He thanked her and stroked her feathers while he opened the parcel. A letter fell out, and he reached for it, apprehensive but also overjoyed at the same time. He began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_ I can't believe it, but Dumbledore has finally given us the OK to do this. I'm so excited! After not being able to write you anything enough to placate me or convince you, I can tell you now that you will be leaving the Dursley's on July 31st at 12:00 AM. Enclosed is a portkey that will take you to the Weasley's at exactly that time, and you will be staying the rest of the summer, so bring your stuff! I would love to explain everything in this letter, but it would never pass the screening process and even then, Hedwig would never be able to carry it. It will have to wait until I can tell you in person. Everyone you know is doing well, and pass on their greetings to you in this letter. I hope you found my secret message in the other letter; I had to make it just right. I really wish you could come sooner, but Dumbledore seems adamant that you stay there at least until your birthday. I guess he knows what is best for you. I can't wait for you to come to the Burrow, it feels like something is missing without you here. At the very least, I can talk to someone about something other than Quidditch, which seems to be on everyone's mind here. I've also been questioning what teachers I could and have learned a great deal more about the sixth year course load and requirements. I think we are also going to Diagon Alley soon after you come here, so don't miss the portkey. I know you Harry, so you should pack your trunk now before you forget or get sidetracked. There might be a few people here when you arrive, so don't be alarmed. I think that is all I can write for now, except for the fact that Ron wants me to tell you that the Cannons overtook Puddlemere and are now third. You should see him jumping around and parading through the house, you would think Christmas came early. I hope this letter finds you in good spirits,_

_ Love, Hermione_

_P.S. I learned a really cool spell that I know you'd love to have at your disposal._

_P.S.S. In case you didn't notice, the portkey should look like one of Dobby's socks. He was ecstatic when we asked to borrow one. Don't lose it!_

Harry re-read the letter, not believing his luck. He laughed when he saw the rest of the parcel. One sock that had snitches that glinted when you turned them and moved when it was clean could only be Dobby's. The thought of the elf sent new vigour through Harry. He was leaving on his birthday, of all days, and his uncle couldn't do a thing about it. Better than that, he now had a newfound friend in his aunt and was actually excited about something. All thoughts of Sirius temporarily escaped him and he felt like a normal fifteen-year-old boy awaiting his birthday.

He took off his glasses and placed them on his night side table next to the portkey-sock. Hedwig's absence now became clear, as her weight was not on his shoulder anymore. The window was open, so as he lay down, a cool, soothing breeze whispered into his room and played across his face. Before anything else happened, the boy named Harry Potter fell asleep, dreaming about something other than Sirius' death for the first time that summer.

Chapter 2 - The Empire Strikes Back

In the week and a half that followed and led up to July 30th, Harry barely tolerated his summer with Vernon and Dudley. Aunt Petunia was the same menacing, snappish figure in front of her son and husband, but anytime she and Harry were away from Vernon and Dudley, they would talk about anything and everything they could. She chuckled when she found out that Mrs. Figg knew all about witches and wizards, and that she was a squib herself. 'All that time teaching you tea skills wasted' she said with a silly smile. Whenever they could, they went out together, always acting cold in their neighbourhood, but warming up substantially when they left Privet Drive and began to hit the outskirts of London. They would do whatever they wanted during these times, from shopping and watching movies to amusement rides and getting ice-cream. It was a truly wonderful experience.

This of course was in contrast to the times when either his uncle or his cousin, or sometimes both, would beat him and humiliate him for their own amusement or because he wasn't doing something fast enough. Near the end of Harry's stay, he noticed that the beatings became more and more frequent and Dudley now preferred hitting him over all his other activities, even hanging out with the rest of his gang. Harry shuddered whenever he remembered he was lucky he wasn't staying a full summer. He was glad he was leaving, even though it would mean temporarily stopping his newfound relationship with his aunt.

A few things plagued Harry's mind the day before he was set to leave. He had, at Hermione's request, packed his trunk with everything he owned in it, except for Hedwig's cage and his wand, which he kept with him. He and his aunt were set to leave for one last expedition to London before Harry went to the Weasley's, and as he prepared to leave, another sense of uneasiness and discomfort passed over him. He took it to mean he might get hit again, so he checked the lawn outside and listened intently. The car was gone, Vernon took it everyday for work, and Dudley was over at a friend's house, supposedly 'having tea' but more likely terrorizing the local neighbourhood. He snapped his attention to the stairs as he heard someone come up them.

"All ready then, Harry?" His aunt asked as she rounded the corner and peeked into his room, waiting for him to come so they could leave.

"Au-Petunia" Harry corrected mid-speech. "My friends have set up a portkey for me, you do know what a portkey is?" At Petunia's nod, he continued. "Well, I have one to my friend Ron's house, and it is for the rest of the summer, so I will be taking all of my stuff with me. I feel I should tell you because of what Vernon's reaction might be and if you might feel safer coming with me or-"

Petunia cut in on Harry's speech. "Thank you for your concern Harry, but no thank you. While he is disgusting and vile to you, Dudley is still my son, and I intend to protect him as much as possible, even if it means I stay here. I'm sure you can understand that."

"More than you know" mumbled Harry as he thought of what his mother did for him, and he was only a year old.

"Besides, if I left, Vernon would know I had a hand in it, and I would most likely never see him or my son again, and even if I could, I would never be welcomed back. I do have an idea though, that should keep us both out of trouble. How well can you fake a Ministry of Magic Underage Wand Usage form?"

At one time, all these words pertaining to the magical world would have caused Harry to faint. As he had told his aunt about everything that had happened in her house that related to the magical world, including how he saved Dudley from the Dementors (which she believed), he was not taken aback, but rather was seeing where her plan was progressing.

"I think I see where you're going with this. I fake a Ministry of Magic form saying I used magic to perform teleportation or something equally absurd but magically pertaining, and as long as Vernon doesn't check with the Ministry, which he won't, we're both safe. I assume you're going to be with Vernon and Dudley when this occurs?"

She nodded, happily that Harry had caught on so fast. "Yes, and I was wondering, for more effect, whether you could talk your owl into leaving, and coming back and leaving that message on your bed or desk?"

"Sure, I could easily talk Hedwig into that, as she gets to leave if I do. The only thing I would need is a little candle wax, all Ministry notices have wax seals on them. We won't worry about the emblem, because Vernon wouldn't know it anyways, but the missing seal would be noticeable."

Harry sat in thought for a few minutes and tried to analyse any flaws in the plan. What he wouldn't give to talk to Hermione or Ron and find out if there were any holes or flaws in his plan that he couldn't see. Just thinking about them made him giddy with anticipation as well as a little miffed for their lack of writing. He didn't notice, but a thoughtful and then slightly angry expression crossed his face.

His aunt, who did notice, spoke up. "What are you thinking about Harry? Ready to go now?"

"Hmm, what? Oh yes, I think so. Let's go" He replied.

They went down the porch stairs, and left the house in the direction of the nearest bus stop. As they passed one of Vernon's business associates, Petunia grabbed Harry's arm and winked at him. Harry was unsure of what was happening for a few milliseconds, but then put two and to together. To show his understanding, he acted very downtrodden and she started cursing him and the day he was born. Satisfying the associate, they rounded the corner and broke into laughs at what they had just done. That was one of the funniest things Harry had ever taken part in, partially because it involved him and his aunt and when he reached the Weasley's he would be sure to relate the story to them. Especially eager to hear any story of pranking or goofing off were Fred and George, Ron's twin older brothers who had a habit of having a hand in seemingly every prank that took place at their house and at Hogwarts. As he turned his thoughts away from the Burrow, Harry would later remember that at this point he stopped feeling apprehensive and agitated, and would curse himself for it. They reached the stop without any more interruptions and talked about anything and everything they could, muggle and magical, as they waited for the 11:17 bus to take them into London.

The bus came; Harry and Petunia got on, paid their fare and sat down. They took in the scenery outside and didn't pay much attention to anything else, even the other cars on the road. If they had, they would have noticed a large company car driven by a larger man follow them with beady eyes and a beetroot face, clearly displaying high levels of anger that would have been audible had the car's windows been open. The last thought Harry had before he drifted off into a light sleep with a smile on his face was of him leaving that night and being able to see his two best friends again.

"Oh, and that one fellow was picking his nose when he thought no one was looking," Harry retorted, trying to top Petunia's funniest moments or people they noticed that day. So far, they had gone back and forth for 20 minutes on this bus ride, each one becoming funnier than the last. Currently, Harry was winning with the bloke picking his nose, but he had a feeling Petunia was holding one back as her trump card.

"What about that man wearing the capris and a tank top with slippers? That was very peculiar, even for downtown London. And that is saying something; I once saw this couple at Piccadilly Circus actually expecting a carnival. They were quite surprised when they found out it was referring to the traffic circle behind them."

She chuckled as she remembered their facial expressions and reactions. Oh how she wished for a camera at that moment. She looked over and was surprised to find Harry trying to hide a laugh. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively and Harry took that as his cue to explain.

"Well, first off, that bloke was probably a wizard. We can change water into wine and heal the sick, but dress properly for muggle London? Impossible!" He chuckled and continued, "Actually, he reminded me of when I went to the Quidditch World Cup, you know, England Vs. Bulgaria. They were encouraging wizards who were camping out to try to act muggle in an attempt to blend in. Well, between the massive house-sized tents, toy broomsticks, and virtually every tent being decorated by magic, it was a grand failure. Then there was a chap there named Archie and he seemed to think he rather liked dressing up in a floral print dress. Didn't seem to grasp the concept that there are three basic clothing groups: men, women and unisex. We were laughing about that all the way back from the water pump."

Harry looked out the window again, all joy from telling his story gone as he remembered his friends and how long it had been since he had seen them. Even though they would be reunited tonight a little after midnight, Harry still felt a little angry that they had not written to him before, besides those two letters he received rather early in the summer. He was also a little annoyed at the fact that no one else had written to him, especially Dumbledore, who really had some explaining to do. Of course, this probably had to do with Sirius' death more than anything, as Harry still blamed himself mostly, but also to a degree, Dumbledore. Harry then realized that this was the first time he had thought about Sirius in almost a day. He was ashamed that he had forgotten him so easily and wondered what Sirius would think of him now.

"He wouldn't want you to be so sad, Harry." His aunt spoke, shocking Harry. "He loved life and everything that came with living it. If I learned anything from the wedding we both went to, it was that he never regretted anything, except perhaps being found guilty of betraying your parents so he couldn't watch you. He really liked to pull a fast one on people, and to see their expressions. He sounds a lot like your friend's brothers in that respect."

"Now think about it, would Sirius really want you to mope around because he died? I'm not saying don't remember him, but he would rather you get on with your life and remember him by pranking someone in his name or celebrating his life, rather than mope around and emotionally shut yourself down and not enjoy your life, especially the V-V-Voldemort-free part."

Harry's face brightened slightly and he turned to face his aunt.

"Thanks, I really needed that. What am I ever going to do when I need to talk to you again? I don't suppose I could just send Hedwig around or floo in the fire. That would definitely seem out of place, especially considering I 'teleported' away. What do we do then?"

Petunia looked thoughtful for a moment, then she remembered the invitation that Harry had received from his friend. An idea formed in her mind and she shared it with Harry.

"Can owls drop off mail directly in post office boxes? Or transfer them to someone who does? I believe it's possible, I mean, your friends did it when they invited you to go to the Quidditch Cup two years ago, didn't they?"

Harry looked pensive for a moment, then looked up. "Well, I guess it is possible. I mean, Hedwig wouldn't drop off at a normal post office box, which would be weird, wouldn't it? I guess I can ask at school if anyone knows the way. I mean, we have muggle students, right? Some who live in areas that owls would arouse suspicion, so they must use some kind of transfer station or something. Yes, that could work..."

Petunia didn't bother Harry for the rest of the trip home, as he seemed to be deep in thought, presumably over how to handle this new wrench in their relationship. She checked her bags to make sure they had all their merchandise from the day, and then wondered how Vernon would take Harry just leaving. Hopefully, he will conclude that we're better off without him and his 'free-loading' ways. She was saddened that her newfound nephew was leaving, but again happy for him that he would be going somewhere where he wasn't seen like a slug on the bottom on one's shoe. And, from what she heard about them, he had two exceptionally good friends, although she suspected that Harry liked one of them more than the other. She smiled for the rest of the trip, remembering how Harry's mood changed with the conversation at hand. Whenever either of them mentioned Hermione, his face seemed to lose its maturity and he looked decidedly different. She had seen that look before, but couldn't quite place it in her mind. She wondered why he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, but figured with a muggle family that hates you, a wizard madman after you, the atrocious media reports, and everyone getting into some kind of trouble because they knew him, it was normal. She resumed her earlier thought, chuckled and looked at him thinking, 'Boy, you better hold on to your friends, they seem to be the one single enjoyment in your life'.

The rest of the ride passed by uneventfully. As the bus neared Little Whinging and specifically Privet Drive, Harry came out of his stupor, and noticed they had returned. He motioned to Petunia and together they bundled up all the packages, which was quite difficult, as they had bought a lot of stuff, and exited the bus. Privet Drive looked the same as it had many years ago when Albus Dumbledore had dropped Harry here. The lawns were still manicured; the streets in tip-top condition, and the streetlights still had an orange glow. They entered Number 4, Privet Drive and were relieved to find no one at home. It might have been difficult to explain exactly what they were doing, had Dudley or Vernon caught them.

After Petunia put away all the packages, she joined Harry in the kitchen and they both started making a supper for 4. It was a fun experience for both Harry and Petunia, as they never knew the full extent of each other's culinary skills. Harry finished chopping ingredients and dropped them into a pot as he related a joke from his fourth year about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun and their exploits in a bar. Petunia laughed so hard she dropped the frying pan and only Harry's quick seeker reflexes kept it from falling to the floor. She looked at him, and just smiled.

"I guess you were telling the truth about being allowed to play Seeker in first year," She stated, her eyes full of mirth," and when exactly were you going to tell me this, hmm?" She looked at him.

"Oh, I forgot, must have slipped my mind," He said with a devilish smirk as he placed the frying pan back on the stove and leaned over to check the contents of the oven, which were ready to take out.

"Watch yourself," He said as he began to open the door "This oven is pretty hot."

"But nothing on an Hungarian Horntail, right?" She chided.

"Nope," agreed Harry. "Ovens don't chase me around the bloody house!"

They both laughed again at that joke, and soon the table was set with a delicious, slightly more than average meal. It was decided, that since it was Harry's last day there, that they would make a great meal to celebrate. Of course, the fact that only two people knew exactly what was being celebrated added to the light, humorous air. The clock struck 7, and Harry and Petunia waited for Dudley and Vernon to come home.

After awhile, Petunia became concerned about them both, as Dudley said he would have been home for supper, a meal he never missed, and Vernon's workday had ended an hour ago. As the time of night increased, Petunia and then Harry became increasingly worried, and they began wondering what had happened to Vernon and Dudley. Harry repressed a shudder as he thought that maybe this had something to do with Voldemort. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at his aunt, who was worried beyond belief now about her son, and her husband.

Right as Harry was seriously considering using magic to uncover what had happened, he heard a car pull up. They both looked out the window and saw that Vernon had come home. Petunia breathed a sigh of relief as Harry, using their premade excuse, emptied the garbage and took the bag outside while Vernon came in the door. He heard Vernon shout for him, then Petunia explain what he was doing, and this seemed to placate him. As Harry came back into the house, he saw Vernon look around the kitchen and then sit down at the table. In a frightening gesture, he invited both Harry and Petunia to the table with a smile. Harry, however uneasy he felt, couldn't refuse this attempt at peace, so he sat. As he sat down, he noticed many things. First of all, Vernon may have been smiling, but it was forced, and his eyes only held hatred. Second, he noticed the absence of Dudley and this only helped his feeling of apprehension. The last thing he noticed was that his uncle was sitting forward and not meeting the back of his chair, which was odd, considering he always did due to his weight. Harry sat down, although far from feeling at ease, he felt as though he were in great danger.

They ate through the largest and most oppressive atmosphere Harry had ever felt, including a time outside a hospital wing when there were suspicions of him being possessed by Voldemort. As they finished supper, Harry noticed it was near 11. His mind suddenly clicked to his trunk, where his fake Ministry of Magic letter was waiting for Hedwig to deliver it, before he portkeyed away. He slowly began to get up and remove his dishes, when Petunia asked a question. It was the first time someone had spoken aloud, and the atmosphere was still insanely tense.

"Vernon, where is Dudley, he should be home by now." Her gaze was void of any emotion as she waited for her husband's response.

"At the Polkiss', I gave him permission to sleep over, when I went by there." He said casually.

"Oh," she exclaimed. "About what time was that? And why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I passed by around 6, and I didn't tell you because I didn't want you and _poor_ Harry over here to think you could possibly get away with PULLING ALL THIS SHIT ON ME!" he finished, roaring and slamming the table in emphasis.

Petunia looked scared and apprehensive as she asked, "Vernon, what do you mean? Me and the boy don't ever-"

_SLAP! _The sound reverberated around the kitchen.

He silenced his wife with another slap across the face, leaving a second red mark in it's passing. "Oh, I know all about you and Harry over here" He said calmly, as he looked at Harry with a much used expression, hate, anger and disgust. "You just couldn't stop with my house, could you? No, you had to also turn my wife against me. FUCK YOU, HARRY POTTER, AND YOUR UNNATURALNESS. IT ENDS TONIGHT!" He screamed as he finally lost it, and at the same time reached behind his back and pulled out a revolver, and aimed it at Harry.

11:47

_'Fuck' _thought Harry as he saw both the time and the gun. He did the only thing he could do with a gun pointed at him without a wand. He spread his arms and imitated a 'don't shoot me' gesture he saw once in a muggle movie. He wondered about the irony of the current situation, and the fact that he probably would die, thereby dooming both muggle and magical worlds alike. Wait! Maybe, according to the prophecy Vernon couldn't kill him. Maybe he could somehow get out of here and warn somebody. He began wondering if he could wandlessly summon the portkey from upstairs, but was interrupted when he saw his aunt sneaking up behind her husband stealthily with a look of utter disbelief and fury on her face. As she attempted to knock the gun out of Vernon's hands, she screamed.

11:52

"Run Harry! I'll hold him off while you go and-" She never finished as she was thrown to the floor by her over the edge husband, and landed unconscious. Harry had turned and was almost out of the kitchen when the gun discharged once.

_BANG! _The sound again reverberated around the kitchen, and Harry fell to the ground as the bullet found his ankle and ripped into it. He landed and hit the ground hard, nearly blacking out as his head impacted with the doorframe. Vernon dragged both his unconscious wife and his clearly in pain nephew up the stairs to the smallest bedroom of Privet Drive, all the while muttering to himself.

"Get rid of all the evidence...said I redid the room...she went over to their 'kind'...Dudley will grow up better off...no one will miss him, or that damn ruddy owl...I should be able to-"

"To do what?" Harry finally spoke in a voice that whispered of the pain he was feeling. "The minute my friends find out about this, they will hunt you down with no mercy. Nowhere you hide will be safe, they can and will find you. Even the stupidest-"

_Slap! _This time Harry was the recipient of a hard slap to the face that dislodged his glasses and made his head rattle. They had reached the room before he was hit, so Harry, after clearing his head, was able to look over at his night side table, and attempt to read the tiny numbers without his glasses.

11:57

Obviously a 1 and another 1, then a 5 and a 7. Harry breathed a little sigh of relief that his time had not passed yet. His relief however, was temporary as he heard the gun cough out three more shots.

_BANG!BANG!BANG!_

Afraid to look over, but knowing he must, Harry looked over...and nearly vomited over the floor. Lying there, looking at him with cold, dead eyes, Harry's aunt known as Petunia expired with a shuddering breath and covered in blood. Harry began to lose it as he noticed she was shot twice in the chest and once in the forehead. What kind of sane man would do that to his own wife? He shuddered at the thought and recoiled into his trunk. Vernon had his maniacal face on again and was almost dancing with glee, a sight Harry would remember forever as extremely disturbing. He was dimly aware that Vernon had his gun aimed at him again, as he leaned against his chest. He tossed a piece of wood at Harry and laughed.

"There, the great Harry Potter has his wand, and I have a gun. Let's see if the wizard can defend himself."

As Harry's hand came up, to cast a shield or summon the portkey, he wasn't quite sure at the moment, the gun spoke again.

_BANG!_

"AAGGGGHHHH!" Harry exclaimed as his hand that was holding his wand suddenly had a .357 calibre hole in it. He dropped his wand as he cradled his hand and at that moment, Harry Potter thought he was going to die. He had resigned himself to going this way when a voice called to him in his mind, a voice that sounded very familiar. The voice spoke, and Harry was sure he was the only one who heard her.

_'Harry, don't give up. I love you. You can summon the portkey wandlessly. I know you can do it. You are not allowed to die, not when you must defeat the impostor Riddle and take your rightful place as the Heir of Gryffindor. One of the set is already within your grasp, you must claim it to find the others. Remember, I love you, always. Now, Summon the portkey!'_

As the voice faded, Harry felt the pain lessen and he reached up with his uninjured left hand, and both wandlessly and wordlessly summoned the funny sock portkey. _'Accio Portkey'_ As he saw the portkey flying towards him, he grabbed onto Petunia and made sure his back was touching his trunk. As he looked over to somehow tell Hedwig to leave, the gun exclaimed one last time.

_BANG!_

Harry felt the pain from faraway, as he felt the bullet rip through his heart and already he was running out of blood. It was most likely fatal, but he'd be damned if he let himself die in the home where he grew up hated. He would much rather be around his friends, his 'family' and his Hermione. As this thought crossed his mind, something awoke in Harry even he wasn't fully aware of yet. The portkey finished its trip and impacted Harry causing him and everything touching him, including a trunk, a wand, most of the blood, and his dead aunt, to be whisked away in a kaleidoscope of colour.

In the suddenly empty room, Vernon screamed in fury and turned to attempt to screw with Harry further by killing his owl. He raised the revolver, aimed, and fired. An audible click resounded through the room as Vernon had not realised he was out of bullets. Swearing profusely, he threw the gun down, and charged the golden cage where the caged owl hooted frantically. Right before Vernon reached the cage, a pillar of fire appeared and unknown to him, the phoenix transported itself and Hedwig away. As the fire cleared, and Vernon found the owl's cage empty, he fell to his knees and screamed, a scream that echoed his fury, anger, confusion, and hatred of everything magical.

Many, many kilometres away, the boy named Harry Potter, along with his possessions and his dead aunt held in his arms, rematerialized in a room, a room full of people.

Chapter 3 - The Return of the Potter

"SURPRISE!" The guests of Harry's surprise birthday party shouted as he began to materialize in the kitchen of the Burrow. Harry heard a noise; he couldn't recognize it before he had fully completed the journey. He attempted to lift his wand to try and say a spell, but he was too weak for even that and dropped it as he felt himself successfully emerge from the portkey field. For a millisecond, confusion was evident on the faces of everyone at the party as a bloody bundle of something portkeyed in, along with a trunk. As soon as Harry's wand fell, however, the Burrow's kitchen erupted in noise.

"HARRY!" Hermione screamed as she reached him first, sliding on the floor over the blood and reaching out for him. She took in how pale he was, the massive amount of blood all around him, and the fact that he looked like he had been shot. She grabbed his chest and noticed that the shot was straight through his heart; looking through, she could see the Burrow's kitchen floor. As she streamed further down his chest, she realized he was holding onto something else. She searched through the shirt for a minute before she turned visibly green and screamed.

"HOLY SHIT, IT'S HIS AUNT!" Her slightly trembling hands swept across his body, and she gasped as she found two more holes, one in his right hand, and one in his ankle. As for her previous exclamation, it went unnoticed as others began to act. Molly and the rest of the Weasleys ran over and tried to help wherever they could. Fred and George started to haul Harry's aunt off of him, already looking like they were going to throw up any second. Ron slid in beside Hermione and helped her clear Harry's body. Nervous chatter broke out in the crowd as many debated what to do. A sudden harsh voice called out over them.

"EVERYONE, SHUT UP!" Lupin snarled uncharacteristically. Everyone except those helping Harry and his aunt did as they were told. "Mad-Eye, get Dumbledore, NOW!" Moody nodded and stepped over into the living room, to disappear in emerald flames to the headmaster's office at Hogwarts.

"Tonks, Kingsley, come with me to move Harry somewhere else and sort this out. To the rest of the Aurors here, guard this kitchen with your lives. No one leaves, is that clear?" No one dared to cross Lupin, as he truly looked wolfish, his fangs protruding slightly from the massive amount of blood everywhere. There were a few nods and those six named sprang into action, blocking both doors to the kitchen and drawing already glowing wands.

Meanwhile, Hermione, with the help of the twins, had finally retrieved Harry's aunt off of him and were desperately trying to wake him up, with no success. Hermione began to speak frantically, as Harry was still loosing blood.

"Harry, damnit, you can't die, not now. Come back to me, back to us. HARRY!" She broke out in tears as she continued in her attempt to wake him up. "Comon, Harry, you have to go back to Hogwarts, annoy Snape, lose house points, play Quidditch, save the day again...COME ON HARRY, WAKE UP!"

She started sobbing hysterically as Lupin pried her off Harry and left her in Tonks' arms. He and Kingsley lifted Harry up and started to transfer him to the couch in the living room. Lupin looked at Petunia's body, and to Tonks, and she slowly shook her head. He and Kingsley put Harry down as softly as they could, and turned as the rest of the Weasleys, Tonks and a crying Hermione entered the living room. On seeing his injured body, Hermione ran out from Tonks' hold and knelt near Harry's head, softly talking to him and encouraging him to wake up.

"WHERE THE HELL IS DUMBLEDORE?" Lupin yelled just as the flames turned emerald again and Dumbledore stepped through, followed by Madam Pomfrey and Moody. As she looked around the room, she spotted Harry and gasped. She immediately rushed over to his side and everyone else except Hermione moved back to give her room to work. Dumbledore took one look at Harry and silently shed a tear while shaking his head. He looked over at the people assembled in the living room, pretty much all of them Harry's surrogate family, and they as one, flinched at the cold fury of Dumbledore's expression that he usually saved for Death Eaters and their leader, Tom Riddle. He spoke softly, and everyone in the room felt a chill go down their spine.

"What happened," He nearly whispered, although, through some magic, everyone heard him loud and clear.

"We honestly don't know," Remus spoke up as he stepped in front of everyone else, and looked at Harry on the verge of tears. "He portkeyed in like he was supposed to, except he brought his aunt with him. She's in the kitchen, dead, Albus." Dumbledore nodded and Remus continued. "He landed right in the kitchen, with his wand, and trunk, and his aunt, plus an ungodly amount of blood. He tried to curse us or something when we shouted 'surprise' but I guess he had no more strength left, and dropped his wand. Hermione was the first to spot that something was wrong and then me and Kingsley moved him in here and sent Alastor to get you." Remus concluded and then fell to the floor on his knees, tears flowing freely. Tonks leaned down next to him, rubbing his back in support and shedding a few tears herself.

The rest of the crowd parted as Dumbledore walked into the kitchen, and nearly lost his stomach as well. He looked around at Harry's trunk, wand, and the sheet covering his aunt, all covered in impossible amounts of blood. He lifted the sheet, looked down upon her bloody corpse, and simply sighed, his eyes conveying this heart-wrenching moment for him. As he looked at the rest of the guests, mostly other Aurors and schoolmates of Harry's, he noticed many with teary-eyed expressions, as well as more than a few having what he guessed was their recent stomach contents expunged onto the floor. He nodded to the Aurors who were guarding both entrances into the kitchen and they lowered their wands. Dumbledore began to speak softly, though everyone heard him clearly, just like in the living room.

"Due to unforeseen and obviously serious circumstances, Harry's party can not be held tonight. I would feel it best if everyone left here and went directly home. Those still attending Hogwarts will need either a direct portkey or some other way to make it home safely. I would like the Aurors to record and process this scene as it will become vital in the future." He turned to one of the six Aurors guarding the kitchen, "Full investigation's worth of evidence" The Auror nodded and started barking commands to the others. They began to question a few guests, collect blood, and tag the crime scene.

Dumbledore strode back into the living room, and another presence detatched itself from the slowly moving crowd and came into the living room. For once, she looked as if she were plainly in the here and now, as Luna also shed a tear upon seeing Harry's lifeless body. She slowly paced forward while Madam Ponfrey continued in her effort to revive Harry. Hermione looked over at Luna, and turned back to Harry, moving his hair out of his eyes and hugging on to her friend, not letting go even when Madam Pomfrey looked at her and sighed. Ron joined the two girls as the three of them just looked at their best friend. Finally, Madam Pomfrey turned around, tears in her eyes as well.

"I'm sorry" she whispered as she went into the kitchen and sat down. The sound of the matronly woman breaking down in the kitchen confirmed their worst fears. She couldn't do it. Madam Pomfrey, who had been healing Harry and saving his life on more than one occasion over the last 6 years, couldn't fix him this time.

Hermione's normally fair complexion turned stark white and her eyes opened farther than they should have, as she looked down at the battered, bloodstained boy beneath her who was now pronounced dead. She didn't cry, as she had used all of her tears before. She just sat with Harry, her mind not comprehending what she had just been told. Beside her, Luna wailed louder and Ron fell to his knees, clearly shocked. The three of them crowded around Harry and held each other while also holding him. The rest of the Weasleys and Dumbledore left, to give the friends time to grieve over their loss.

Molly held herself together, until she reached the kitchen, where she fully crumbled into Arthur's arms and sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. Harry had been like a son to her, albeit a son she only saw every so often after he had been at his relatives for awhile, but a son nonetheless. As she touched upon the thought of Harry's relatives, her face hardened and she looked directly at Dumbledore, who had the good idea of flinching under her stare.

"And you," she spat, clearly upset "Why in the hell did you let Harry stay there? Any one of us could have told you it wasn't safe there. Why do you think Ron and Hermione nearly jumped you every summer to let Harry stay here? Why, Albus? Why?" She turned back to Arthur and began sobbing again. Arthur also could not believe that Albus was talking this so casually. He glanced over at the table, and visibly shuddered as the cake was still lit on the table, with _'Happy Birthday Harry'_ written in emerald green icing on a white background.

Dumbledore's reason for not acting like everything was completely lost yet was a mystery to everyone but him and Harry. According to the prophesy, Harry could not die except at the direct hand of Voldemort, so even if he had used the Imperious curse on Dursley, he wouldn't have directly killed him, therefore he couldn't die. Also, known only to Dumbledore at this time, he had never heard of a Founder or any of their Heirs even dying through muggle means. As he knew Harry was the Heir of Gryffindor, through the Potter line, this gave him new hope that Harry would be allright.

Albus was about to speak his mind when a bright light lit the living room, and then faded again. He had felt the magical pulse, and also felt that it was similar to Harry's, but more developed, more distinct. As he and the others raced into the living room, they heard three screams and raced around the corner into the den.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Hermione, Luna and Ron were all crowded around Harry's dead body. After quietly sobbing for a long time, Luna and Ron began to hear someone talking. They tilted their heads and were surprised to find Hermione whispering into Harry's ear. They leaned closer as they tried to decipher what she was saying.

"...and besides that, you have to come back. Nothing will be the same without you. I'll never be able to tolerate Ron's Quidditch speeches, Snape will have no one to take points off of, and I'll lose my study partner if you go. If nothing else, come back for me, please. I've been thinking, and if you were here, you would give me that look that melts my heart, and I've realized something. Over the years, I guess I've...fallen in love with you."

At this, Ron and Luna both gasped, while Ron began to get slightly angry and jealous and was about to say something when he was cut off by the coldest look he had ever seen Luna give, as well a nudge with her elbow that made him exclaim. He turned back to listen to the rest of Hermione's explanation. She didn't seem to care that anyone was listening in, she didn't care that she was slowly being soaked in blood, Harry's blood. She just continued saying what she had obviously held in for a long time.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to tell you, I guess I've been a bit of an idiot. I was always first and foremost your friend, Harry. I'll never forget how you and Ron came to my rescue when I really needed it, especially in that bathroom during Halloween first year. I knew I had more than friendly feelings toward you near the end of third year, the way you were so courageous and brave and strong and smart...I guess it all sums up to the way you're so you. You have had the most horrific past of anyone I've ever known, yet you still find things to make you smile, you still would do anything for anybody, even if it meant your own life. I know I disagreed with you over Sirius' rescue, but that was when I knew I was hopelessly in love with you, Harry. They way you were so desperate to hold on to any remaining member of your family, knowing you would do the same for me or Ron, well it's flattering, and yet another reason I fell in love with you. I know you might not agree, what with Voldemort after you, but I don't care anymore Harry."

Hermione started to cry again as she struggled to say everything she needed to. "I hate this, Harry. I've finally decided to tell you what my heart desires, what I have tried to say for so long, and I finally come to my senses, but it's too late." She paused as her tear-stained face tried in vain to breathe in enough air. She choked out, "I love you, Harry James Potter, now come back to me." She leaned over, looked at Harry's pale and gaunt face, leaned over and kissed Harry softly on the lips. She sat back down, turned to Luna, and broke down completely again into her arms. All of a sudden, a pure, bright, white light exploded out of Harry and stayed present for a moment until it died down. The three of them screamed.

As the adults ran into the living room, and as all of them watched on, amazed, a faint white aura surrounded Harry and began mending his most severe injuries. Everyone watched, transfixed, as the chest muscle and heart began rebuilding themselves. Hermione lifted up his hand only to drop it in alarm as the hole that was there from the bullet slowly sealed itself. The blood from all of their clothes, the kitchen floor, and Harry's body gathered together and was pumped back through his body. The bruises he had gotten from his beatings by Dudley and Vernon, oddly, stayed constant throughout this inexplicable phenomena. The last noticeable thing was that his skin began turning more a healthy looking peach than the stark white of before. As everyone stared, utterly amazed, no one daring to take a breath, the impossible happened. Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, prophesized killer of Voldemort, and secret love of Hermione, took a huge, shuddering breath and lived again.

Chapter 4

In the living room of the Burrow, not a soul dared to move or even breathe as the full impact of what had just happened hit them.

Story Outline

Vernon catching Harry and Petunia coming back while hes out, shoots both of them, only Harry survives, grabs portkey and goes to party

Summer after 5th year - abusive

Arriving at burrow for party, scared, injured only lets Hermione, then Luna comfort, ends up at Hermione's to recover

Prophecy concealing for the most part

Train

6th year at Hogwarts

summer after sixth year

at least one wedding (made up or use bill/fleur)

7th year

horcrux hunt

voldemort battle

strong h/hr as wizard/witch also as main relationship, telepathic

major abuse by harry's relatives

friendly duels

training

quidditch accident, of course, fall off broom, crazy move to get it back, after fall in crowd and fight

medieval theme, enchanted armor, swords

gryffindor set items, like D2

changed Draco

crazy insane ass quidditch battle

sisterly luna (because of summer receptiveness)

wand holsters, arm and leg

kitchen visit (at least one) Dobby

research latin for new spells

maybe dance, elton john-the way you look tonight

sleeping awake prophecy lines


End file.
